From Teeny to Teenagers in the Blink of an Eye

Amid the “controlled chaos” atop my desk sits a stack of paperwork, all prepped and ready to go. But go where? you ask. Well, my friends, this neatly compiled pack will be accompanying my 13-year-old son and me tonight to (gulp! gasp!) high school registration.

(OK, so I just saw myself type that previous statement. I watched as each individual letter formed an entire word, each word resulting in a sentence. But try as I might, I just can't wrap my brain around the concept. My son + high school? Impossible.)

First off, please accept my sincere and proactive apologies, as I run the risk of getting sappy here, which quite honestly is a bit horrifying. (I'm a play-it-close-to-the-vest person, but it seems that I have absolutely no shame in venting my innermost emotions to thousands of strangers.) Now that we've got that out of the way, let me continue. … It seems like just yesterday that he and his brother emerged in this world, all flailing arms and legs — 10 tiny fingers and toes present and accounted for — and muted cries more kitten-like than human. Apparently, these twin boys had grown weary of the womb and decided it was time to make their debut — at barely 28 weeks, mind you. Weighing just over 2 pounds each and barely longer than a ruler, “Baby A” and “Baby B” were whisked immediately away to the NICU (short for neonatal intensive care unit, which is quite a mouthful) at Harris downtown, where they received the most compassionate, competent care on the planet.

And that was nearly 14 years ago. Today, two strapping, healthy teens, my boys are just shy of starting their freshman year — and I'm absolutely thunderstruck. How did the days slip away so fast? I'm certain many of you can relate. As for those of you whose kids are younger, you probably haven't entered this zone … yet. But you will. And as someone who's there now, I urge you to enjoy every day you have with your children. Take pictures. Write things down. Everything seems so indelible when you're in the moment, but memories blur and fade. Life with kids is crazy and messy and — candidly — not always a barrel of laughs. But it happens so quickly! So incredibly quickly …

As a side note: When I had my preemie twins, I felt very overwhelmed and, frankly, alone. There wasn't much emotional support available for parents of premature babies – until now. I want to let you guys know about a very cool new organization here in town. Called NICU Helping Hands and fronted by Lisa Grubbs, the nonprofit develops hospital and community-based projects that provide education and support to families of premature infants. I sure wish they'd been around when I had my twins! Please check out their website: www.nicuhelpinghands.org.